editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Hansi Lo Wang is a national reporter based at NPR's New York bureau. He covers issues and events in the Northeast.In 2016, his reporting after the church shooting in Charleston, S.C., won a Salute to Excellence National Media Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. He was also part of NPR's award-winning coverage of Pope Francis' tour of the U.S. His profile of a white member of a Boston Chinatown gang won a National Journalism Award from the Asian American Journalists Association in 2014.Since joining NPR in 2010 as a Kroc Fellow, he's contributed to NPR's breaking news coverage of the Orlando nightclub shooting, protests in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray, and the trial of George Zimmerman in Florida.Wang previously reported on race, ethnicity, and culture for NPR's Code Switch team. He has also reported for Seattle public radio station KUOW and worked behind the scenes of NPR's Weekend Edition as a production assistant.A Philadelphia native, Wang speaksNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Hansi Lo WangFri, 07 Oct 2016 01:12:37 +0000Hansi Lo Wanghttp://ripr.org
Hansi Lo WangWhen you think of Chinese food in the U.S., fried rice, lo mein or General Tso's chicken may first come to mind.But a new museum exhibition in New York City is trying to expand visitors' palates. It features stories of celebrity chefs like Martin Yan and home cooks whose food represents 18 different regional cooking styles of China."I think it's unfair to just classify one Chinese cooking, per se," says Kian Lam Kho, a co-curator of "Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Spicy: Stories of Chinese Food and Identity in America" at the Museum of Chinese in America. "When you say 'Chinese cooking,' it's like saying 'European cooking,' because Chinese food is just too diverse."Signature dishes highlighted in the exhibition range from Peking duck to cumin lamb skewers from Xinjiang Province in northwest China."Even with the same dish or same cuisine, every family has a different variation," says Kho, who founded the Chinese cooking blog Red Cook.That's why the curators say if you want to taste the full rangeThink 'Chinese Food' Means Lo Mein? Home Cooking Brings More To The Tablehttp://ripr.org/post/think-chinese-food-means-lo-mein-home-cooking-brings-more-table
73566 as http://ripr.orgThu, 06 Oct 2016 20:54:00 +0000Think 'Chinese Food' Means Lo Mein? Home Cooking Brings More To The TableHansi Lo WangAfrican-American women have been wearing fancy hats to church for generations. That tradition is being celebrated at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, which officially opens in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 24. Vintage turbans, caps and fascinators that span a half-century are on display — all from the shop of one woman.Her name is Mae Reeves.In 1942, a time when few women were becoming entrepreneurs, Reeves opened what would become a Philadelphia institution with a $500 bank loan. Her hat shop, Mae's Millinery, helped dress some of the most famous African-American women in the country, including iconic singers Marian Anderson, Ella Fitzgerald and Lena Horne.Reeves hung her hat above the store, raising her family in the same building — first in downtown Philadelphia and later West Philadelphia."You do what you got to do," she said, reflecting on the early years of running her business in an interview with the Smithsonian recorded after the museumMae Reeves' Hats Hang At National Museum Of African American History And Culturehttp://ripr.org/post/mae-reeves-hats-hang-national-museum-african-american-history-and-culture
72883 as http://ripr.orgSun, 18 Sep 2016 10:20:00 +0000Mae Reeves' Hats Hang At National Museum Of African American History And CultureHansi Lo WangMules named Sal are hard to find these days along the Erie Canal. But almost two centuries after workers began digging its route across upstate New York, you can still see barges pushed and pulled through what some consider the first superhighway of the U.S.As the canal prepares to celebrate its bicentennial next July, some are questioning whether the canal is still worth subsidizing.After the original canal was completed in 1825, the 363-mile waterway was a technological marvel. It shortened the trek from eastern New York to the Great Lakes from two weeks by wagon to just five days on the water.By today's standards, though, the ride is slow and steady with stops every so often at canal locks that act like water elevators for barges and boats."The canal used to be very busy," says tugboat captain Mark Smith, who adds locals didn't used to pay much attention to canal workers like him. "They probably didn't look twice at a tugboat with a fuel barge. Nobody thought anything of it. Now itA Piece Of The Past, A Price In The Present: Paying For The Erie Canalhttp://ripr.org/post/piece-past-price-present-paying-erie-canal
72813 as http://ripr.orgFri, 16 Sep 2016 09:01:00 +0000A Piece Of The Past, A Price In The Present: Paying For The Erie CanalHansi Lo WangBefore Scott Kopytko joined the New York City Fire Department, he worked as a commodities broker in the South Tower at the World Trade Center. On Sept. 11, he rushed up the stairs of his old office building, trying to save lives with his fellow firefighters before the towers fell."He went to work, and he never came back," says his stepfather, Russell Mercer.Almost every morning, Mercer and Kopytko's mother take turns visiting the cemetery across from their son's old high school in the Queens borough of New York City. Under a young oak tree next to fading tombstones, they water pink flowers behind a small, square stone engraved for Kopytko."It's a place where we can go, me and my family, to talk to Scott. But there's nothing there," Mercer says. "We need some kind of DNA, some human remains, where you can go to and say, 'This is where Scott is.' "Fifteen years after the attacks, families of 40 percent of the World Trade Center victims have not received any remains of their loved onesSept. 11 Families Face 'Strange, Empty Void' Without Victims' Remainshttp://ripr.org/post/sept-11-families-face-strange-empty-void-without-victims-remains
72571 as http://ripr.orgSat, 10 Sep 2016 21:11:00 +0000Sept. 11 Families Face 'Strange, Empty Void' Without Victims' RemainsHansi Lo WangFifteen years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the World Trade Center is still one of the world's most scrutinized construction sites.Developers have had to balance honoring the dead while reviving some of the most valuable real estate in the world.The latest addition now open to the public is a $4-billion, marble-floored train station. Every day, thousands stream through the World Trade Center Transportation Hub on their way to their new offices, shopping malls or the National Sept. 11 Memorial Museum. Above them are soaring, white, steel arches that have been compared to a rack of whale bones."It actually represents a bird about to take off in flight, and that's kind of the rebirth," says Steven Plate, who oversees construction at the World Trade Center for the site's owners, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.That rebirth, he says, includes the transportation hub opening 15 years after the Sept. 11 hijackers turned this entire site into a pit of rubble."We'll neverIn Ongoing Rebuilding Of Ground Zero, A Balance Of Remembrance, Resiliencehttp://ripr.org/post/ongoing-rebuilding-ground-zero-balance-remembrance-resilience
72446 as http://ripr.orgThu, 08 Sep 2016 00:08:00 +0000In Ongoing Rebuilding Of Ground Zero, A Balance Of Remembrance, ResilienceHansi Lo WangBack in 1972, John Lennon hired Leon Wildes, an immigration attorney who had no idea who he was.Wildes' son, Michael, remembers his father coming home to tell his mother about their first meeting."And he said, 'A singer by the name of Jack Lemon and his wife Yoko Moto,' " Michael recalls. "My mom looked at him like he wasn't well. 'Are you talking about the Beatles and John Lennon?' My father said, 'Yeah!' "Over the next five years, Lennon and Ono were often caught on camera outside immigration court in New York City — as well as on late-night talk shows such as NBC's The Tomorrow Show With Tom Snyder."What is your status in the country right now?" Snyder asked Lennon during a show taping in 1975."That's why Leon's here," Lennon answers. He glances over at Leon Wildes sitting across from him on a dark TV set. "What, what am I, Leon?""Well, John was charged with being deportable in the U.S. for being an overstay," says Wildes, who has written a new book about Lennon's deportation caseJohn Lennon's Deportation Fight Paved Way For Obama's Deferred Action Policyhttp://ripr.org/post/john-lennons-deportation-fight-paved-way-obamas-deferred-action-policy
71826 as http://ripr.orgTue, 23 Aug 2016 21:32:00 +0000John Lennon's Deportation Fight Paved Way For Obama's Deferred Action PolicyHansi Lo WangCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Inconsistencies Call Melania Trump's Immigration Story Into Questionhttp://ripr.org/post/inconsistencies-call-melania-trumps-immigration-story-question
71096 as http://ripr.orgFri, 05 Aug 2016 20:34:00 +0000Inconsistencies Call Melania Trump's Immigration Story Into QuestionHansi Lo WangEven if fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad doesn't medal at the Rio Olympics, she is set to make the history books.Once she hits the fencing strip for her first bout in the women's individual sabre competition on Aug. 8, she will become the first U.S. Olympic athlete to compete while wearing a hijab.The only Muslim woman on Team USA this summer, Muhammad says she didn't find fencing. The sport found her when she was 12, during a car ride with her mother. They were passing a fencing practice at her local high school in Maplewood, N.J., and her mother couldn't help but notice what the athletes were wearing."Fencers, they wear long jackets, and they wear long pants. And as a Muslim youth, I was looking for a sport where I didn't have to alter the uniform in any way," explains Muhammad, now 30.She began covering in high school as part of her faith. To play volleyball, she wore sweatpants and a T-shirt along with her team's uniform, never feeling fully part of the team.Fencing solved that problem and,An American Muslim Fencer Lunges Into U.S. Olympic History In Riohttp://ripr.org/post/american-muslim-fencer-lunges-us-olympic-history-rio
71052 as http://ripr.orgFri, 05 Aug 2016 09:00:00 +0000An American Muslim Fencer Lunges Into U.S. Olympic History In RioHansi Lo WangAs tens of thousands of politicians, party delegates and protesters swept through the City of Brotherly Love this week for the Democratic National Convention, dozens of homeless Philadelphians and out-of-towners pitched tents on a grassy lot.They were part of a protest over the four days of the convention organized by Cheri Honkala, a Philadelphia-based activist with the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign.She put together a similar demonstration during Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia last year, calling it "The Church of the Poor." This time, Honkala set up camp in Kensington, a Philadelphia neighborhood that was once a manufacturing hub, and named the tent city "Clintonville," harkening back to the "Hooverville" camps of the Great Depression during President Herbert Hoover's administration.There's currently no Clinton in the White House, but Honkala said the camp's name was a critique of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and of President Bill Clinton's bid to "endPitching A 'Clintonville' Protest During The Democratic Conventionhttp://ripr.org/post/pitching-clintonville-protest-during-democratic-convention
70805 as http://ripr.orgSat, 30 Jul 2016 16:58:00 +0000Pitching A 'Clintonville' Protest During The Democratic ConventionHansi Lo WangCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit NPR.Protests Galore In The Streets Of Philly: Here's What They're All Abouthttp://ripr.org/post/protests-galore-streets-philly-heres-what-theyre-all-about
70656 as http://ripr.orgWed, 27 Jul 2016 20:07:00 +0000Protests Galore In The Streets Of Philly: Here's What They're All AboutHansi Lo WangCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit NPR.Protests Mark First Day Of Democratic Conventionhttp://ripr.org/post/protests-mark-first-day-democratic-convention
70541 as http://ripr.orgMon, 25 Jul 2016 20:17:00 +0000Protests Mark First Day Of Democratic ConventionHansi Lo WangHow many times last year did police pull a Taser on suspects nationwide?Just like the total number of people shot by police, no one knows for sure.Connecticut is the first state to require police to fill out a form for every time they pull a Taser. And it just released the first-ever statewide report on how police use them.Police use stun guns against suspects who show what cops consider threatening and resistant behavior. The shock can get them to follow orders, and according to police, Tasers can level the playing field."You're not depending just on size and strength in order to arrest someone," says Norwalk Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik. "Even a small-statured officer against a larger individual can still have a Taser as a tool to use to gain compliance."Kulhawik says Tasers are effective tools because neither the officer nor the suspect are usually injured. But he admits Tasers can be abused, and in extreme cases can result in death.In some Connecticut police departments, beforeWho Gets Tased? First Statewide Study Reveals Racial Disparitieshttp://ripr.org/post/who-gets-tased-first-statewide-study-reveals-racial-disparities
69440 as http://ripr.orgThu, 30 Jun 2016 22:34:00 +0000Who Gets Tased? First Statewide Study Reveals Racial DisparitiesHansi Lo WangCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit NPR.Will Orlando's Moment Of LGBT Support Endure?http://ripr.org/post/will-orlandos-moment-lgbt-support-endure
69218 as http://ripr.orgSun, 26 Jun 2016 12:01:00 +0000Will Orlando's Moment Of LGBT Support Endure?Hansi Lo WangCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Orlando Hospital Gives Update On The Injured; Survivors Share Details Of Attackhttp://ripr.org/post/orlando-hospital-gives-update-injured-survivors-share-details-attack
68702 as http://ripr.orgTue, 14 Jun 2016 16:38:00 +0000Orlando Hospital Gives Update On The Injured; Survivors Share Details Of AttackHansi Lo WangCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Donors Line Up To Give Blood In Floridahttp://ripr.org/post/donors-line-give-blood-florida
68622 as http://ripr.orgSun, 12 Jun 2016 23:04:00 +0000Donors Line Up To Give Blood In FloridaHansi Lo WangMore than 260,000 Filipino fighters served under the American flag during World War II. Decades after they fought alongside U.S. troops in the Philippines, many were allowed to move to the U.S. and become citizens. But they had to leave their grown children behind. Now, those families could finally be reunited in the U.S.Rudolpho Panaglima has been waiting for that moment for decades. He was 13 when he joined his father in a Filipino guerrilla unit that was coordinating with U.S. forces. Being so young, he says, allowed him to sneak past the Japanese military as a courier and scout."I went ahead to make sure that the enemy is not there," says Panaglima, who brought back military intelligence, food and medicine to his unit's base in the mountains.In return for defending the Philippines against invading Japanese forces, the Filipino fighters were promised benefits, pensions and U.S. citizenship. But as the war ended in 1946, President Harry Truman signed laws that stripped away thoseFilipino World War II Veterans Living In U.S. Can Now Reunite With Familyhttp://ripr.org/post/immigration-program-reunite-filipino-world-war-ii-vets-family
68453 as http://ripr.orgWed, 08 Jun 2016 21:06:00 +0000Filipino World War II Veterans Living In U.S. Can Now Reunite With FamilyHansi Lo WangThe Obama administration is taking steps to name the first national monument dedicated to the struggle for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.A likely location is in New York City, where the Stonewall riots sparked the modern gay-rights movement almost a half-century ago."It sounded like screaming and real cries of agony and desperation finally being released," recalls Martin Boyce, 68, who participated in the riots in the early hours of June 28, 1969.On that hot and humid night in New York's West Village neighborhood, Boyce walked over to a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn after he heard that a police raid was underway. He says he expected to see a routine scene."What we used to normally do at the time was look at the raid, see people coming out, who got arrested, and be glad it wasn't you," he says.New York's LGBT community had already endured years of police raids on gay bars and beatings on the street. There were regular arrests for homosexual acts or for not wearing atLong A Symbol, Stonewall Inn May Soon Become Monument To LGBT Rightshttp://ripr.org/post/long-symbol-stonewall-inn-may-soon-become-monument-lgbt-rights
68064 as http://ripr.orgMon, 30 May 2016 09:17:00 +0000Long A Symbol, Stonewall Inn May Soon Become Monument To LGBT RightsHansi Lo WangIn the marshy woods of Secaucus, N.J., a mosquito can make a happy home.With water and shade under a canopy of maple trees, you could barely ask for more to start your own bloodsucking family.For Gary Cardini, though, this is a battleground."You want to get them in the water before they're flying," explains Cardini, who supervises the field team for Hudson County Mosquito Control. "In the water, they're captive. You know where they are."Every spring, his team of inspectors checks for mosquito larvae in pools of water and then spreads larvicide that kills the larvae after they eat it."You need a very small amount to effect a very large decimation of the population," says one of Cardini's inspectors, Maureen LoCascio.Killing bloodsuckers is also a priority across the Hudson River in New York City, as the health department there prepares for the possible spread of the Zika virus during mosquito season.States like New York and New Jersey have used pesticides for years to deal with the WestTo Kill Mosquitoes That Spread Zika, Strike Before They Flyhttp://ripr.org/post/kill-mosquitoes-spread-zika-strike-they-fly
67944 as http://ripr.orgThu, 26 May 2016 19:15:00 +0000To Kill Mosquitoes That Spread Zika, Strike Before They FlyHansi Lo WangA legal battle between refugee students and the school district of Utica, N.Y., may soon come to an end.A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit claiming that refugees in Utica, a Rust Belt city located about four hours north of New York City, have been illegally blocked from attending the local high school.New York state residents, regardless of citizenship, have a right to attend a public high school and earn a diploma until they turn 21. Two federal lawsuits filed last year contend that some refugee students have been denied that right in Utica, once called "The Town That Loves Refugees" by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.For almost a decade, the district allegedly discriminated against refugees over 16, who are not required to attend school under state law. Instead of allowing them to enroll at Proctor High School, the lawsuits claim the district diverted the refugee students to alternative programs mainly to learn English or attend GED classes, and they missedRefugees Reach Settlement In Legal Fight To Attend N.Y. High Schoolhttp://ripr.org/post/refugees-reach-settlement-legal-fight-attend-ny-high-school
67686 as http://ripr.orgFri, 20 May 2016 11:00:00 +0000Refugees Reach Settlement In Legal Fight To Attend N.Y. High SchoolHansi Lo WangThe next presidential primary battle has arrived in a state with one of the country's largest Asian populations.A bulk of New York's more than 903,000 eligible Asian-American voters lives in New York City, where 24-year-old Brenda Nguyen has been going door to door for the Bernie Sanders campaign in Sunset Park, a Brooklyn neighborhood with a growing Chinese-American community.Nguyen can't vote herself on Tuesday. Like two of Donald Trump's children, she missed the Oct. 9 deadline to update her voter registration and enroll with a party before New York's closed primary. But she says she's still talking up the primary in her neighborhood with as many voters as she can — everyone except her father."It's a very sad moment when you realize your dad is going to vote for Donald Trump," said Nguyen, whose father is a former refugee from Vietnam — and technically can't vote in the Republican primary, because he, too, didn't register with the party in time.As for other Asian-American voters,In Close Race, 'Unprecedented' Push For Asian-American Voters Comes To N.Y.http://ripr.org/post/close-race-unprecedented-push-asian-american-voters-comes-ny
66262 as http://ripr.orgMon, 18 Apr 2016 09:03:00 +0000In Close Race, 'Unprecedented' Push For Asian-American Voters Comes To N.Y.